Human Dignity and the Socio-Economic Order
This seminar will be presented both in person (at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies) and online. In-person attendance does not require registration. To attend on-line via Zoom, please click the link below.
Dr Sohail Hanif, CEO of the National Zakat Foundation, will give the next seminar in the Human Dignity in the Islamic Tradition series which is jointly organised with Blackfriars Hall. Dr Hanif will be speaking on the theme ‘Human Dignity and the Socio-Economic Order’.

A vision of human dignity is embedded within the socio-economic teachings of Islamic jurisprudence: community, faith, and justice are anchored within key Islamic legal rules pertaining to trade and charity. Islamic jurisprudence and moral theology presents materials for a discourse promoting human dignity by constraining government, promoting fair economics, balancing the right to private ownership and industry with public access to essential resources, and grounding society on a principle of charity and faith, with a fascinating view of a pluralistic faith society. The talk will argue that, in the Islamic tradition, human trade is understood as a reflection of a cosmic order, where man’s relationship with God is framed as trade, elevating thereby the status of man’s pious efforts on earth.

About the speaker: Sohail Hanif, DPhil (Oxon) became National Zakat Foundation’s Chief Executive in November 2021. Prior to this, he held the position of BA Manager and Lecturer at Cambridge Muslim College. From 2015-17, he was NZF’s Head of Research and Development and has also held the position of Head of Sciences at Qasid Arabic Institute in Amman. Dr Hanif has expertise in Islamic law, having studied extensively with traditional scholars, and holds a doctorate from the University of Oxford. His doctoral thesis, which explores Islamic legal epistemology, won the 2019 prize of the British Association for Islamic Studies.
Date: 14 June 2022, 14:00 (Tuesday, 8th week, Trinity 2022)
Venue: Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, Marston Road OX3 0EE
Speaker: Dr Sohail Hanif (National Zakat Foundation)
Organisers: Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies (University of Oxford), Las Casas Institute (Blackfriars)
Organiser contact email address: events@oxcis.ac.uk
Part of: Human Dignity in the Islamic Tradition
Booking required?: Not required
Booking url: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4C0jnoeaT0Gw8rN2mNrw2Q
Booking email: events@oxcis.ac.uk
Audience: Public
Editor: Talal Al-Azem